Meet the Senators eyeing Governorship seats

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• As They Prepare For 2027 Elections

Perhaps the question to ask is what actually  the attraction is of these gentlemen to want to aspire to lead their respective states in executive positions after their legislative assignments at the National Assembly.

City People findings confirmed that the lawmakers who are seeking to change gear have intensified grassroots mobilisation. The senators are spread across the zones, including the North-West, North-East, North-Central, and South-West. There are no clear indications that any of the Senators in the South -East and South-South are eyeing the governorship seats just yet.

One area generating attention, according to findings, is the number of senators eyeing the governorship seat in their respective states, with some of them already having won their primaries. Of significance is the fact that we had more than one senator vying for the same gubernatorial slot in some states.

Leading the pack is Senator Adeola Solomon Olamilekan (Ogun State)

The man who is also known as Yayi crossed from representing Lagos West to being the Senator representing Ogun West. He is also the Chairman of the Senate committee on Appropriations.

The Ogun-West Senator has been aiming to be the governor of Ogun State since 2019 and his dreams have come through as he currently is the consensus APC flagbearer for next year’s elections. His major strategy has been massive empowerment programmes, cutting across Lagos (where he once represented at the National Assembly) and Ogun States.

It was gathered that over 15,000 residents in 5 local governments (Yewa-South, Yewa-North, Ipokia, Imeko Afon, Ado Odo/Ota) received training in vocations such as leatherworks, tailoring, sewing, confectioneries, ICT, and the agricultural value chain, with cash grants reportedly totalling about N1billion under one of the phases of his N3billion Ogun-West Empowerment Programme.

Also in 2022, Senator Adeola conducted multiple programmes in Lagos-West, training and equipping around 3,000 youths and women in trades such as leatherwork, fashion, hairdressing, barbing, interior decoration, event planning, catering, fish production, and solar energy business, with tools and start-up cash, a move with the ultimate goal of wooing voters on that corridor who will vote in 2027.

While he seems to be getting endorsements by groups like “Ogun West Professionals for Yayi” and other accolades like 2027 “next level” leader, there remains to be tackled the APC’s internal dynamics and zoning pressure. There are however issues on his eligibility as APCs rival in the state the PDP has taken him to court challenging his claim of indegeneship of Yewaland.

There is also Senator Aliyu Wadada  (Nasarawa State). The Chairman of the Senate Committee on Public Accounts, Senator Aliyu Wadada, has been engaging stakeholders in Nasarawa State to support his desire to succeed Governor Abdullahi Sule in 2027.

The “famous horse rider” has also initiated a mix of strategies, including political party change in his bid to position himself for the job.

Wadada, a former House of Representatives member, came to the Senate in 2023 on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), but has since defected to the APC, as part of his plans to gain visibility.

Senator Sharafadeen Alli (Oyo-South, APC)has since won the primary to contest the governorship position of Oyo State after defeating former Minister, Adelabu in a keen contest. His empowerment programmes like ICT training for the youth, Point of Sale (PoS) distribution, and farm inputs to woo eligible voters and grassroots support easily worked out for him. Apart from that,his acceptability within the Oyo State Political rank and file swayed support in his favor, hence his emergence.

Kingsley Ogundu Chinda is a member of the National Assembly, currently representing Obio/Akpor Constituency in the Federal House of Representative. On the 21st of May, 2026, Chinda emerged as the Rivers State governorship flagbearer of the APC after the withrawal of Siminalayi Fubara, the Current governor of Rivers State, Tonye Cole, Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly.

Chinda is favoured by FCT Minister, Nyesone Wike and is expected to win the guber poll barring any last onslaught by opposition parties as 2027 beckons.

The development also means that with zoning debates, party defections, and intra-party rivalries intensifying, the race for Nigeria’s 2027  governorship election promises to be a fierce battle that could reshape state leadership across the federation.

Wole Alakija

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